Definition of journalism

journalism, the collection, preparation, and distribution of news and

related commentary and feature materials through such print and
electronic media as newspapers, magazines, books, blogs, webcasts,
podcasts, social networking and social media sites, and e-mail as well as
through radio.

What is a news in journalism?

News is information about current events. This may be provided
through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems,
broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of
observers and witnesses to events. News is sometimes called "hard
news" to differentiate it from soft media.

News stories are mainly classified into two broad categories- Hard News
and Soft News.

Hard news refers to the news stories that have an big impact at the
society as a whole and need to be reported urgently. They are factual
stories with data, concerning events that are potentially available to
analysis. Examples include news on politics, crime, economics,
international affairs, natural calamities, riots etc.

Soft news on the other hand refers to the stories that provide other
background information about world events, human interest stories or
entertainment news. Since these do not deal with serious subjects, they
are labelled as “soft”. Examples include sports news, celebrity news, or
human interest stories that deal with emotions.

Components of News
What is the meaning of accuracy in journalism?
Accuracy is the overriding value that virtually all journalism organizations agree
on. We must strive to report facts accurately or we will lose our credibility. Accuracy
is achieved through a combination of commitment, skill, transparency and correction.

Names, numbers, and dates

Accuracy is essential when you are dealing with names, numbers, and dates. You
must get the spelling of a person’s name right if you are to refer to them in the
story. If you are referring to their age, this has to be right, too. If you are writing
about the number of people attending a meeting you should not guess, but you
should seek out someone who might know, such as the event organiser, and
quote them.

If you are writing about an incident that has occurred you must get the day and
date right, as well as the street name where it happened. This is not just a
matter of being accurate, it’s also a matter of being legally safe. If a reporter
produces a story with a misspelt name of someone living at the wrong address
who is said to have been involved in an incident on the wrong day, this could be
a legal minefield for the reporter and the news organisation they work for.

To a journalist, attribution simply means telling your readers where the

information in your story comes from, as well as who is being quoted.

Generally, attribution means using a source’s full name and job title if that's
relevant. Information from sources can be paraphrased or quoted directly, but
in both cases, it should be attributed.

Fairness in journalism
Fairness in journalism means exploring all sides of an issue and reporting the
findings accurately.

Members of the public should never be used to exaggerate the importance of a

story. As a journalist you have a responsibility to examine your own motives, and
ensure that your personal feelings and emotions do not influence what you
report, whom you talk to, or determine which elements of the story you
highlight.

You also need to think carefully about the language and tone you use to ensure
that it doesn’t give an inaccurate and unfair representation of the facts. Your job
is to inform the public debate, not manipulate that debate. You are working on
behalf of the public, not using them for your own ends.

If, for example, you uncover information that you consider to be in the public
interest, and which involves serious allegations against an individual or group, it
might not be appropriate to approach those who are the focus of the piece of
investigative journalism.
 This is particularly important if the information could lead to criminal arrest. In
most cases, the fact that a person has agreed to be interviewed is sufficient to
prove informed consent.

Brevity
Brevity is the quality of being brief. It is a striking feature of written
communication. Brevity means giving maximum information in the
minimum number of words possible. It can be achieved by avoiding
wordiness and repetition. There is an economy of words. It saves the
time of the writer and the reader also. Communication should be
accurate, precise, concise, and pointed. It should not be irrelevant,
repetitive, and circumlocutive.

Ways to achieve brevity in writing:

1. Replace several vague words with more powerful and specific words.
2. Interrogate every word in a sentence.
3. Combine Sentences.
4. Omit repetitive wording.
5. Eliminate words that explain the obvious or provide excessive detail.

Clarity
The message should be clear, well-planned and expressed in a logical
way. It should not be ambiguous. Clearly written messages avoid
misunderstanding and save time. Vague or ambiguous expressions must
be avoided. Clarity paves way for readability. For readability clear,
simple, familiar, precise, specific words, phrases and expressions should
be used. Long sentences, unclear words and clumsy expressions should
be avoided. Clarity depends upon five factors. They are as follows:
1. Always use simple, common and meaningful words. Avoid technical
words, jargons and cliches.
2. Use short and simple sentences as long sentences can confuse the
reader.
3. Use proper punctuation in writing; it facilitates comprehension.
4. Always give definite and concrete details with facts and figures.
5. Use coherence, that is, the logical sequence in the presentation of ideas.

NEWS VALUES
- Timeliness: News about a recent story.

- Proximity: News about places near your publication.

- Prominence: News about a widely known person.

- Consequence: News about the result of something someone has done.

- Human Interest: News that causes people to have emotion.

- Conflict: News about problems that give the reader tension and
suspense.

- Other Factors: Money, disaster, novelty, oddity, drama, etc.

EXAMPLES-:

Timeliness: A newspaper that makes a story about football in November

rather than June.

- Proximity: A minor dropout problem in our school is more important

than a major problem in a school 500 miles away.

- Prominence: The star quarterback flunks a math exam and is ineligible

for the big game.

- Consequence: The effect on construction plans for a new school in

your town if steel or railroad workers are on strike.

- Conflict: Former husbands and wives fighting over who will win custody
of their children.

REPORTING AND EDITING TECHNIQUES

What is a lead?
A lead is an opening paragraph that gives the audience the most
important information of the news story in a concise and clear manner,
while still maintaining the readers' interest. If a reader does not read
beyond your first paragraph, they should still have an idea of what your
article is about and the most important information from that article.

What is the meaning of the body in journalism?

The body text or body copy is the text forming the main content of a
book, magazine, web page, or any other printed or digital work. This
is as a contrast to both additional components such as headings,
images, charts, footnotes etc.

The third and final part is known as the tail/conclusion. This section
contains information regarding events that are occurring related to the
incident. They might also contain references regarding similar incidents
that had occurred

What is the Nutgraph in a news story?

In journalism, a nut graph is a paragraph, particularly in a feature
story, that explains the news value of the story. The term is also
spelled as nut graf, nut 'graph, nutgraph, nutgraf.
 5W and 1H of Report Writing
The 5 WS and 1H of journalism are who, where, what, when, why, and
how. A reporter must need to answer all these five w’s and h questions
through the reporting. Therefore, these are the essential elements that the
reporter should keep in mind during writing and publishing a news story.
It improves the news values in journalism.

what, when, where, who, why and how = 5W1H

Now if we discuss more about it in details then it will help us to

understand the importance and use this which are as follow:-

What:- As the name itself explains its meaning which says that
exactly what happened in details.

When:- Here when refers to the time that at what time the incident
happens which simply includes the date, time, conditions and
situations at the time of event.

Where:- It includes the descriptive location of where event happen

at what place and who else are including at the time incidences.

Who:- This is the main part of 5W1H as audiences and very much
curious to know who involved in this particular event. but here the
journalist should also keep in his mind that before reveling the
identity of the person including in incident he or she must have to
take permission of his or her family and verify the identity first from
police.

why:- This is also the interesting element as what could the reason
behind the happening of incident, why someone did that.

How:- At last what audience want to know is how exactly the

incident happened and how someone did that.

A headline is the title of a newspaper story, printed in

large letters at the top of the story, especially on the front page.

The headlines appeal to the readers and they read the news below
if they find the headline interesting enough. Headlines are like a
signpost that directs the reader to the story. It also determines the
number of people who go through the story.
What characteristic must a newspaper headline must
have?
Headlines need to be accurate, first, and to fairly reflect the theme of
the story. Most readers don't realize that those who write stories, the
reporters, seldom write their own headlines. They may suggest
headlines, but more often space needs or other considerations force an
editor to fashion something different.

What are the characteristics of a headlines?

So, headlines must be:

 Simple to understand. Headlines should help your reader to
immediately understand the main point of your sales message. ...
 The right length. Meaning, not too short and not too long. ...
 Emotionally compelling. If I had to pick one, this is probably the
hallmark characteristic of a winning headline.

FACTORS TO KEEP IN MIND WHILE WRITING A

HEADLINE:
1. Overall, a catchy headline should speak directly to the part of the
brain that subconsciously cares. However, a catchy headline is
nothing without quality, thoughtful, engaging content that is shared and
admired. Remember: that's the reason we wanted the catchy headline in
the first place

2. Make your headline simple and easy to understand

While puns and adjectives can make headlines more clickable, you don't
want to go overboard. When in doubt, keep it short, sweet, and simple.
In other words, communicate a benefit to the reader and the reason
you're writing the article. That's it.

3. Use the active voice: Effective headlines usually involve logical

sentence structure, active voice and strong present-tense verbs.
They do not include “headlinese.” As with any good writing, good
headlines are driven by good verbs.

4. Avoid articles - Headlines are supposed to give the briefest

synopsis of a story's content. Because the letters used in a headline
take up more space, dropping the indefinite articles saves two or three
characters (a or an, plus the space), and dropping the definite article
saves four (the, plus the space).

Photo Journalism with reference to print media

What do you mean by photojournalism?

Photojournalism is a form of journalism which tells a news story
through powerful photography.

IMPORTANCE OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN NEWS STORY

A photograph of it is just what a newspaper editor wants. A photograph

of a happening helps the readers in many ways. It provides proof that
the event really happened, since the readers can see it with their own
eyes. It also takes the readers there, and lets them see the setting in
which the event happened

5 Steps to Create a Photo Essay

Every photo essay will be different, but you can use a standard process.
Following these five steps will guide you through every phase of your
photo essay project—from brainstorming creative essay topics to
creating a photo essay to share with others.

Step 1: Choose Your Photo Essay Topics

Just about any topic you can imagine can form the foundation for a
photo essay. You may choose to focus on a specific event, such as a
wedding, performance, or festival. Or you may want to cover a topic over
a set span of time, such as documenting a child’s first year. You could
also focus on a city or natural area across the seasons to tell a story of
changing activities or landscapes.
Since the best photo essays convey meaning and emotion, choose a
topic of interest. Your passion for the subject matter will shine through
each photograph and touch your viewer’s hearts and minds.

Step 2: Conduct Upfront Research

Much of the work in a good-quality photo essay begins before you
take your first photo. It’s always a good idea to do some research on
your planned topic.

Imagine you’re going to take photos of a downtown area throughout

the year. You should spend some time learning the history of the
area. Talk with local residents and business owners and find out
about planned events. With these insights, you’ll be able to plan
ahead and be prepared to take photos that reflect the area’s unique
personality and lifestyles.

For any topic you choose, gather information first. This may involve
internet searches, library research, interviews, or spending time
observing your subject.

Step 3: Storyboard Your Ideas

After you have done some research and have a good sense of the story
you want to tell, you can create a storyboard. With a storyboard, you can
write or sketch out the ideal pictures you want to capture to convey your
message.
You can turn your storyboard into a “shot list” that you can bring with you
on site. A shot list can be especially helpful when you are at a one-time
event and want to capture specific shots for your photo essay. If you’ve
never created a photo essay before, start with ten shot ideas. Think of
each shot as a sentence in your story. And aim to make each shot evoke
specific ideas or emotions.

Step 4: Capture Images

Your storyboard and shot list will be important guides to help you make
the most of each shoot. Be sure to set aside enough time to capture all
the shots you need—especially if you are photographing a one-time
event. And allow yourself to explore your ideas using different
photography composition, perspective, and color contrast techniques.
You may need to take a hundred images or more to get ten perfect ones
for your photographic essay. Or, you may find that you want to add more
photos to your story and expand your picture essay concept.
Also, remember to look for special unplanned, moments that help tell
your story. Sometimes, spontaneous photos that aren’t on your shot list
can be full of meaning. A mix of planning and flexibility almost always
yields the best results.

Step 5: Edit and Organize Photos to Tell Your Story

After capturing your images, you can work on compiling your photo
story. To create your photo essay, you will need to make decisions about
which images portray your themes and messages. At times, this can
mean setting aside beautiful images that aren’t a perfect fit. You can use
your shot list and storyboard as a guide but be open to including photos
that weren’t in your original plans.
You may want to use photo editing software—such as Adobe Lightroom
or Photoshop— to enhance and change photographs. With these tools,
you can adjust lighting and white balance, perform color corrections,
crop, or perform other edits. If you have a signature photo editing style,
you may want to use Photoshop Actions or Lightroom Presets to give all
your photos a consistent look and feel.

What Is a Good Caption for a Picture?

A good photo caption is informative and catchy. It explains the story of
the photograph and provides context.

An outstanding photo caption can change the mood of the image. It can
lead to different interpretations. A good caption can turn an average
picture into an iconic and world-known photograph.